Minecraft Block "Cake"

There are some fantastic ideas on the internet, and this "cake" is no exception. It was M's other favorite birthday cake idea, but not ideal for the pool party last weekend. What kid doesn't love frosted, sprinkle-covered brownies, crispy-rice treats, and Jello blocks?

Add to that the fun Happy Birthday sign that M found at the cake-decorating shop last week, and the fantastic (free printable) paper crafts from PixelPapercraft, and we had a winner! Ten rainbow candles topped off this fabulous creation!


It was very cool to find a girl "Steve" for the cake, and (of course) a cake block, and she loved the mini squid, TNT block, bookcase block, and mini pumpkin. And, perhaps her favorite, the crafting table block that cousin Sophia and Grammy assembled (although I did pull it apart for quick reassembly since they glued the white tabs on the outside of the block...)

All-in-all, a fun and easy cake. The paper crafts took the longest, and next time I'll make the fabulous Colophon chocolate cake for grass blocks instead of brownies. 

April Fools Tea

The kids have this Autumn Spice tea that is quite orange, and they'd had a tea party with it the night before 4/1, so I got some orange Jello at the grocery for a little polymer-prank (they've been studying polymers and making goo/slime too). 

Easy "recipe" for making finger-Jello with only one small box. 

One 3-oz. box Jello (flavor to match your tea or juice)

2/3 cup boiling water

Mix well and pour into tea cups and small tea pot (or juice glasses and small pitcher). Refrigerate overnight, and serve to unsuspecting children in the morning. Trust me, they'll think it's hilarious.  

Rr is for Rainbow!

Rainbow Jello that is... this week Madeline's class is studying the letter Rr, so we made a big batch of rainbow-striped Jello blocks to share with everyone. Thankfully, she's in a school where that's still allowed.

All Packed Up

A fun few Bento lunches this week (Madeline chowed every bit of her lunch every day) and I even managed to pack lunch for Joel, and E & me one day... Also, finally got around to successfully making layered Finger Jello — it's delish!

Recipe (for that) coming soon...